THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: SEPTEMBER 2000

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1 Internet address: Technical information: USDL Household data: (202) Transmission of material in this release is Establishment data: embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT), Media contact: Friday, October 6, THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: SEPTEMBER 2000 Total nonfarm employment rose by 252,000 in September, and the unemployment rate declined to 3.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. After adjusting for the net return of striking workers (75,000) and a further decline in the number of temporary census jobs (27,000), nonfarm employment was up by 204,000. Job gains were very strong in the services industry, but the overall employment change was tempered by widespread job losses in manufacturing. Unemployment (Household Survey Data) Both the number of unemployed persons, 5.5 million, and the unemployment rate, 3.9 percent, declined in September. Over the past year, the rate has ranged from 3.9 percent to 4.1 percent. Over the month, the unemployment rates decreased for adult women (3.5 percent) and blacks (7.0 percent). Rates for the other major worker groups--adult men (3.2 percent), teenagers (12.8 percent), whites (3.5 percent), and Hispanics (5.6 percent)--showed little or no change. (See tables A-1 and A-2.) Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data) Total employment was little changed at million, seasonally adjusted, in September. The employment-population ratio--the proportion of the population age 16 and older with jobs--was 64.3 percent, unchanged from August. The civilian labor force, million, and the labor force participation rate, 66.9 percent, were both essentially unchanged in September. (See table A-1.) The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (those who would have preferred full-time work) was 3.2 million in September. The number of these involuntary part-time workers has ranged from 3.1 to 3.3 million since July (See table A-4.) About 7.5 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) held more than one job in September. These multiple jobholders represented 5.5 percent of total employment, compared with 5.7 percent a year earlier. (See table A-10.) Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data) About 1.2 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally attached to the labor force in September, about the same number as a year earlier. These people wanted and were available to work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed, however, because they had not actively searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers was 250,000 in September. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them. (See table A-10.)

2 - 2 - Table A. Major indicators of labor market activity, seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Quarterly Monthly data averages Aug.- Category Sept. change II III July Aug. Sept. HOUSEHOLD DATA Labor force status Civilian labor force.. 140, , , , , Employment , , , , , Unemployment... 5,627 5,652 5,650 5,829 5, Not in labor force... 68,550 69,348 69,329 69,193 69, Unemployment rates All workers Adult men Adult women Teenagers White Black Hispanic origin ESTABLISHMENT DATA Employment Nonfarm employment ,552 p131, ,607 p131,516 p131,768 p252 Goods-producing 1/.. 25,703 p25,668 25,756 p25,643 p25,606 p-37 Construction... 6,676 p6,683 6,670 p6,675 p6,705 p30 Manufacturing... 18,488 p18,448 18,548 p18,431 p18,365 p-66 Service-producing 1/ 105,849 p105, ,851 p105,873 p106,162 p289 Retail trade... 23,128 p23,191 23,196 p23,188 p23,189 p1 Services... 40,272 p40,586 40,403 p40,578 p40,778 p200 Government... 20,827 p20,522 20,606 p20,498 p20,462 p-36 Hours of work 2/ Total private p p34.3 p34.4 p0.1 Manufacturing p p41.3 p41.2 p-.1 Overtime p p4.5 p4.4 p-.1 Indexes of aggregate weekly hours (1982=100) 2/ Total private p p151.0 p151.4 p0.4 Earnings 2/ Avg. hourly earnings, total private... $13.67 p$13.79 $13.75 p$13.80 p$13.83 p$0.03 Avg. weekly earnings, total private p p p p2.41 1/ Includes other industries, not shown separately. 2/ Data relate to private production or nonsupervisory workers. p=preliminary.

3 - 3 - Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data) Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 252,000 to million in September. Contributing to this increase was the net return of 75,000 striking workers to their jobs. At the same time, the number also reflects the conclusion of 27,000 temporary census jobs. After adjusting for both effects, payroll employment increased by 204,000 in September. (The strike adjustment primarily reflects the return of 87,000 communications workers who were off company payrolls in August, which was partly offset by new strikes involving 12,000 workers.) So far this year, employment has increased by an average of 192,000 per month compared to 229,000 per month for all of (See table B-1.) Employment in the services industry rose by 200,000 in September, seasonally adjusted. Month-to-month growth in services employment has varied widely this year, although the average monthly change (119,000) is close to the monthly average for all of Employment in help supply services increased by 69,000 in September, after showing little net growth in the prior 3 months. Over the month, job gains continued in health services and in engineering and management services. In September, as in August, there were large employment increases in job training services (within social services) and civic and social organizations (within membership organizations) after seasonal adjustment; these increases resulted from lighter-than-normal seasonal layoffs that followed weak summer hiring. Construction employment rose by 30,000 in September, seasonally adjusted, following 3 months of very small gains. Seasonal declines in construction usually begin in September. This year those seasonal layoffs were smaller than normal, perhaps reflecting the relatively light hiring over the summer. Thus far this year, construction employment has increased by 17,000 per month on average, compared with 25,000 per month for all of Employment in transportation and public utilities rose by 105,000 in September, largely reflecting the return of 87,000 telephone communications workers from a strike that kept them off payrolls during the August reference period. Apart from the strike effect, employment in the communications industry increased by 7,000, and the transportation industry continued to grow. Finance, insurance, and real estate employment rose by 16,000 in September, following a similar gain in August. In the first 7 months of the year, however, the industry had averaged monthly job losses of 4,000. In September, security brokerages added 6,000 jobs, continuing a strong growth trend. Employment also increased in mortgage brokerages and in real estate.

4 - 4 - Employment in manufacturing fell by 66,000 in September, following an even larger decline of 117,000 in August, as revised. Part of September's decline resulted from 10,000 workers being off payrolls due to strikes in transportation equipment and food and kindred products during the survey reference period. September's losses were widespread, with employment down in both durable and nondurable goods manufacturing. Employment fell in industrial machinery and equipment (9,000), apparel (9,000), rubber and miscellaneous plastics (8,000), and fabricated metal products (6,000). The only manufacturing industry to show consistent growth this year has been electronic components, which added 4,000 jobs in September and has added 46,000 jobs since April Retail trade employment was essentially unchanged in September, as gains in most component industries were offset by losses in eating and drinking places and in building materials stores. The number of jobs in eating and drinking establishments declined for the second consecutive month, following strong gains in June and July. Wholesale trade showed little change in September. Federal government employment fell in September, as 27,000 temporary Census 2000 workers completed their assignments. As of September, only about 6,000 temporary census workers remained on the federal government payroll, down from a peak of 618,000 in May. Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data) The average workweek for production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls was up by 0.1 hour in September to 34.4 hours, seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing workweek edged down by 0.1 hour to 41.2 hours, following a drop of 0.4 hour in August. In September, manufacturing overtime declined by 0.1 hour for the second consecutive month to 4.4 hours. (See table B-2.) The index of aggregate weekly hours of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.3 percent to (1982=100), seasonally adjusted. The manufacturing index fell by 0.7 percent to (See table B-5.) Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data) Average hourly earnings of production or nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 3 cents in September to $13.83, seasonally adjusted. Over the month, average weekly earnings increased by 0.5 percent to $ Over the year, average hourly earnings rose by 3.6 percent and average weekly earnings grew by 3.3 percent. Twelve-month growth rates in hourly earnings have been in the range of 3.5 to 3.8 percent since February (See table B-3.) The Employment Situation for October 2000 is scheduled to be released on Friday, November 3, at 8:30 A.M. (EST).

5 - 5 - Expansion of the Current Population Survey (Household Survey) Sample The Census Bureau is expanding the monthly sample for the Current Population Survey (CPS) in response to a legislative mandate under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This expansion, which will occur in 31 states and the District of Columbia, will increase the total number of households eligible for the monthly survey from about 50,000 to about 60,000. The additional households are being introduced into the survey over a 3-month period beginning with September The SCHIP legislation requires that the Census Bureau improve state estimates of the number of children who live in low-income families and lack health insurance. The expansion of the monthly CPS sample is one part of the Census Bureau's plan for improving the SCHIP estimates. Other parts of the plan include an increase in the number of households that will be asked the questions from the annual March supplement to the CPS, the source of information on income and access to health insurance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not plan to use the expanded sample for the official national labor force estimates until at least July 2001, after the data collected from the new households have been evaluated. BLS will review estimates for November 2000 through April 2001 produced from the expanded sample. If persistent differences are observed between the estimates derived from the current and expanded samples during this period of review, the use of the expanded sample in the official estimates may be further delayed. The announcement of the final decision on whether the expanded sample will be used in the official data for July 2001 (scheduled for release in August) will be made in early June.

6 - 6 - Explanatory Note This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The establishment survey provides the information on the employment, hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from payroll records by BLS in cooperation with State agencies. In June 2000, the sample included about 300,000 establishments employing about 48 million people. For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the 12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week. Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force. People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid employees during the reference week; worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons. People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits. The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the employed as a percent of the population. Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as Federal, State, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory workers in the service-producing sector.

7 - 7 - Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from the surveys. Among these are: --The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed. These groups are excluded from the establishment survey. --The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the employed. The establishment survey does not. --The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older. The establishment survey is not limited by age. --The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each appearance. Other differences between the two surveys are described in "Comparing Employment Estimates from Household and Payroll Surveys," which may be obtained from BLS upon request. Seasonal adjustment Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month changes in unemployment. Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example, the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity. In both the household and establishment surveys, most seasonally adjusted series are independently adjusted. However, the adjusted series for many major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most major industry divisions, total employment, and unemployment are computed by aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major agesex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration, reasons, or more detailed age categories. The numerical factors used to make the seasonal adjustments are recalculated twice a year. For the household survey, the factors are calculated for the January-June period and again for the July-December

8 - 8 - period. For the establishment survey, updated factors for seasonal adjustment are calculated for the May-October period and introduced along with new benchmarks, and again for the November-April period. In both surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year. Reliability of the estimates Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus 376,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000 from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the monthly change would range from -276,000 to 476,000 (100, ,000). These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the "true" over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90-percent confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely (at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact, occurred. The 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in unemployment is 258,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment rate it is.21 percentage point. In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can also improve the stability of the monthly estimates. The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2 months are based on substantially incomplete returns; for this reason, these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final. Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth (and other sources of error), a process known as bias adjustment is included in the survey's estimating procedures, whereby a specified number of jobs is added to the monthly sample-based change. The size of the

9 - 9 - monthly bias adjustment is based largely on past relationships between the sample-based estimates of employment and the total counts of employment described below. The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program. The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, the benchmark revision for total nonfarm employment has averaged 0.3 percent, ranging from zero to 0.7 percent. Additional statistics and other information More comprehensive statistics are contained in Employment and Earnings, published each month by BLS. It is available for $16.00 per issue or $40.00 per year from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC All orders must be prepaid by sending a check or money order payable to the Superintendent of Documents, or by charging to Mastercard or Visa. Employment and Earnings also provides measures of sampling error for the household survey data published in this release. For unemployment and other labor force categories, these measures appear in tables 1-B through 1-H of its "Explanatory Notes." Measures of the reliability of the data drawn from the establishment survey and the actual amounts of revision due to benchmark adjustments are provided in tables 2-B through 2-G of that publication. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: ; TDD message referral phone:

10 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age (Numbers in thousands) Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1) Employment status, sex, and age Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept TOTAL Civilian noninstitutional population , , , , , , , , ,161 Civilian labor force , , , , , , , , ,639 Participation rate Employed , , , , , , , , ,161 Employment-population ratio Agriculture... 3,342 3,656 3,510 3,179 3,298 3,321 3,299 3,344 3,340 Nonagricultural industries , , , , , , , , ,821 Unemployed... 5,661 5,824 5,324 5,825 5,774 5,583 5,650 5,829 5,477 Unemployment rate Not in labor force... 69,048 68,510 69,804 68,790 68,882 68,781 69,329 69,193 69,522 Persons who currently want a job... 4,196 4,441 4,184 4,352 4,412 4,254 4,478 4,213 4,349 Men, 16 years and over Civilian noninstitutional population... 99, , ,963 99, , , , , ,963 Civilian labor force... 74,393 76,086 74,983 74,643 74,883 75,120 74,917 75,412 75,233 Participation rate Employed... 71,603 73,299 72,317 71,630 71,948 72,217 72,063 72,407 72,352 Employment-population ratio Unemployed... 2,790 2,787 2,666 3,013 2,934 2,903 2,854 3,005 2,881 Unemployment rate Men, 20 years and over Civilian noninstitutional population... 91,793 92,754 92,863 91,793 92,408 92,546 92,642 92,754 92,863 Civilian labor force... 70,286 71,324 70,954 70,328 70,603 70,714 70,702 71,067 71,002 Participation rate Employed... 68,078 69,176 68,823 67,943 68,230 68,430 68,440 68,757 68,699 Employment-population ratio Agriculture... 2,296 2,441 2,474 2,189 2,217 2,269 2,296 2,288 2,350 Nonagricultural industries... 65,782 66,735 66,349 65,754 66,013 66,161 66,144 66,469 66,349 Unemployed... 2,208 2,148 2,130 2,385 2,373 2,284 2,263 2,309 2,303 Unemployment rate Women, 16 years and over Civilian noninstitutional population , , , , , , , , ,198 Civilian labor force... 64,823 65,339 65,374 64,832 65,606 65,642 65,482 65,330 65,406 Participation rate Employed... 61,952 62,302 62,716 62,020 62,767 62,962 62,686 62,505 62,809 Employment-population ratio Unemployed... 2,871 3,037 2,658 2,812 2,839 2,680 2,796 2,824 2,597 Unemployment rate Women, 20 years and over Civilian noninstitutional population , , , , , , , , ,321 Civilian labor force... 61,053 60,909 61,552 60,860 61,614 61,596 61,508 61,260 61,386 Participation rate Employed... 58,753 58,369 59,370 58,630 59,248 59,278 59,222 58,949 59,268 Employment-population ratio Agriculture Nonagricultural industries... 57,920 57,486 58,583 57,852 58,383 58,444 58,430 58,125 58,524 Unemployed... 2,299 2,539 2,182 2,230 2,367 2,318 2,286 2,311 2,118 Unemployment rate Both sexes, 16 to 19 years Civilian noninstitutional population... 16,086 15,972 15,977 16,086 16,034 15,991 15,974 15,972 15,977 Civilian labor force... 7,878 9,192 7,852 8,287 8,271 8,452 8,189 8,415 8,251 Participation rate Employed... 6,724 8,055 6,840 7,077 7,237 7,471 7,087 7,206 7,195 Employment-population ratio Agriculture Nonagricultural industries... 6,512 7,724 6,591 6,865 7,020 7,253 6,876 6,974 6,948 Unemployed... 1,154 1,137 1,012 1,210 1, ,101 1,209 1,056 Unemployment rate The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns. NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

11 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin (Numbers in thousands) Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1) Employment status, race, sex, age, and Hispanic origin Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept WHITE Civilian noninstitutional population , , , , , , , , ,745 Civilian labor force , , , , , , , , ,535 Participation rate Employed , , , , , , , , ,450 Employment-population ratio Unemployed... 4,002 4,173 3,903 4,192 4,108 3,967 4,103 4,199 4,085 Unemployment rate Men, 20 years and over Civilian labor force... 59,808 60,512 60,227 59,841 59,882 60,074 59,950 60,358 60,275 Participation rate Employed... 58,236 58,994 58,660 58,102 58,184 58,409 58,302 58,701 58,543 Employment-population ratio Unemployed... 1,571 1,518 1,567 1,739 1,698 1,666 1,647 1,657 1,732 Unemployment rate Women, 20 years and over Civilian labor force... 49,746 49,727 50,355 49,593 50,237 50,246 50,356 50,060 50,235 Participation rate Employed... 48,138 47,855 48,786 48,010 48,567 48,616 48,700 48,388 48,688 Employment-population ratio Unemployed... 1,608 1,872 1,570 1,583 1,670 1,630 1,656 1,673 1,546 Unemployment rate Both sexes, 16 to 19 years Civilian labor force... 6,690 7,779 6,654 7,061 6,978 7,130 6,953 7,133 7,025 Participation rate Employed... 5,867 6,996 5,888 6,191 6,237 6,458 6,153 6,264 6,219 Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate Men Women BLACK Civilian noninstitutional population... 24,946 25,258 25,299 24,946 25,161 25,191 25,221 25,258 25,299 Civilian labor force... 16,494 16,630 16,426 16,474 16,596 16,577 16,456 16,512 16,403 Participation rate Employed... 15,113 15,269 15,244 15,114 15,261 15,275 15,190 15,190 15,246 Employment-population ratio Unemployed... 1,381 1,361 1,182 1,360 1,335 1,302 1,266 1,322 1,156 Unemployment rate Men, 20 years and over Civilian labor force... 7,216 7,337 7,285 7,205 7,261 7,263 7,292 7,337 7,274 Participation rate Employed... 6,711 6,824 6,826 6,696 6,736 6,761 6,803 6,797 6,813 Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate Women, 20 years and over Civilian labor force... 8,361 8,215 8,239 8,316 8,384 8,347 8,217 8,230 8,197 Participation rate Employed... 7,774 7,656 7,740 7,759 7,801 7,792 7,691 7,710 7,724 Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate Both sexes, 16 to 19 years Civilian labor force , Participation rate Employed Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate Men Women HISPANIC ORIGIN Civilian noninstitutional population... 21,820 22,488 22,555 21,820 22,292 22,355 22,422 22,488 22,555 Civilian labor force... 14,768 15,357 15,525 14,766 15,322 15,325 15,188 15,248 15,536 Participation rate Employed... 13,818 14,458 14,666 13,795 14,432 14,461 14,339 14,371 14,666 Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns. NOTE: Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

12 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-3. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment, seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted(1) Educational attainment Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept Less than a high school diploma Civilian noninstitutional population... 28,583 28,306 28,346 28,583 28,096 28,227 27,888 28,306 28,346 Civilian labor force... 12,275 12,456 12,578 12,151 11,815 12,004 12,328 12,441 12,417 Percent of population Employed... 11,506 11,747 11,872 11,327 10,984 11,239 11,544 11,677 11,662 Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate High school graduates, no college(2) Civilian noninstitutional population... 57,518 56,882 57,244 57,518 57,746 57,581 57,144 56,882 57,244 Civilian labor force... 37,286 36,395 36,712 37,188 37,224 36,910 37,018 36,589 36,682 Percent of population Employed... 36,022 35,097 35,534 35,879 35,895 35,659 35,782 35,238 35,463 Employment-population ratio Unemployed... 1,264 1,298 1,178 1,309 1,329 1,251 1,236 1,350 1,219 Unemployment rate Less than a bachelor's degree(3) Civilian noninstitutional population... 42,955 44,616 44,191 42,955 44,153 44,250 44,724 44,616 44,191 Civilian labor force... 31,930 32,980 32,683 32,140 33,065 33,094 32,952 33,175 32,934 Percent of population Employed... 31,086 32,036 31,866 31,269 32,228 32,132 32,029 32,230 32,091 Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate College graduates Civilian noninstitutional population... 45,081 45,718 45,863 45,081 45,029 45,092 45,549 45,718 45,863 Civilian labor force... 35,948 35,827 36,227 35,722 36,011 35,988 35,877 35,903 36,017 Percent of population Employed... 35,333 35,038 35,531 35,112 35,433 35,437 35,254 35,250 35,319 Employment-population ratio Unemployed Unemployment rate The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation, therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns. 2 Includes high school diploma or equivalent. 3 Includes the categories, some college, no degree; and associate degree. NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

13 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-4. Selected employment indicators (In thousands) Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted Category Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept CHARACTERISTIC Total employed, 16 years and over , , , , , , , , ,161 Married men, spouse present... 43,663 43,416 43,627 43,367 43,216 43,357 43,284 43,372 43,324 Married women, spouse present... 33,403 32,912 33,503 33,275 33,786 33,824 33,618 33,413 33,402 Women who maintain families... 8,380 8,536 8,633 8,312 8,301 8,280 8,483 8,519 8,548 OCCUPATION Managerial and professional specialty... 40,892 40,663 41,106 40,784 40,858 41,148 40,784 40,937 40,963 Technical, sales, and administrative support... 38,519 39,104 38,810 38,634 39,537 39,270 39,239 39,026 38,966 Service occupations... 17,817 17,976 18,019 17,876 18,181 18,090 17,877 17,675 18,128 Precision production, craft, and repair... 14,531 15,324 15,005 14,659 14,867 14,888 15,236 15,263 15,156 Operators, fabricators, and laborers... 18,202 18,722 18,482 18,227 18,020 18,430 18,296 18,592 18,501 Farming, forestry, and fishing... 3,594 3,812 3,612 3,365 3,410 3,368 3,309 3,400 3,395 CLASS OF WORKER Agriculture: Wage and salary workers... 2,051 2,253 2,141 1,930 2,006 2,059 2,079 2,056 2,010 Self-employed workers... 1,246 1,356 1,328 1,198 1,252 1,175 1,182 1,258 1,288 Unpaid family workers Nonagricultural industries: Wage and salary workers , , , , , , , , ,992 Government... 18,939 18,015 18,827 19,080 19,169 18,777 18,497 18,496 18,979 Private industries , , , , , , , , ,013 Private households... 1, , Other industries , , , , , , , , ,201 Self-employed workers... 8,864 8,658 8,878 8,791 8,714 8,665 8,609 8,590 8,799 Unpaid family workers PERSONS AT WORK PART TIME All industries: Part time for economic reasons... 2,948 3,120 2,854 3,283 3,248 3,117 3,071 3,164 3,189 Slack work or business conditions... 1,689 1,844 1,837 1,922 1,962 1,811 1,846 1,997 2,101 Could only find part-time work... 1, , , Part time for noneconomic reasons... 19,069 16,052 18,751 18,801 18,409 18,308 18,558 18,709 18,456 Nonagricultural industries: Part time for economic reasons... 2,814 3,005 2,724 3,112 3,096 2,967 2,940 3,038 3,021 Slack work or business conditions... 1,596 1,774 1,747 1,806 1,840 1,713 1,750 1,924 1,983 Could only find part-time work... 1, , Part time for noneconomic reasons... 18,490 15,480 18,147 18,273 17,853 17,743 18,041 18,190 17,879 NOTE: Persons at work excludes employed persons who were absent from their jobs during the entire reference week for reasons such as vacation, illness, or industrial dispute. Part time for noneconomic reasons excludes persons who usually work full time but worked only 1 to 34 hours during the reference week for reasons such as holidays, illness, and bad weather. Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

14 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-5. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted Category Number of unemployed persons (in thousands) Unemployment rates(1) Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept CHARACTERISTIC Total, 16 years and over... 5,825 5,829 5, Men, 20 years and over... 2,385 2,309 2, Women, 20 years and over... 2,230 2,311 2, Both sexes, 16 to 19 years... 1,210 1,209 1, Married men, spouse present Married women, spouse present , Women who maintain families Full-time workers... 4,568 4,631 4, Part-time workers... 1,228 1,194 1, OCCUPATION(2) Managerial and professional specialty Technical, sales, and administrative support... 1,407 1,634 1, Precision production, craft, and repair Operators, fabricators, and laborers... 1,242 1,270 1, Farming, forestry, and fishing INDUSTRY Nonagricultural private wage and salary workers 4,626 4,503 4, Goods-producing industries... 1,356 1,260 1, Mining Construction Manufacturing Durable goods Nondurable goods Service-producing industries... 3,270 3,242 3, Transportation and public utilities Wholesale and retail trade... 1,413 1,421 1, Finance, insurance, and real estate Services... 1,452 1,373 1, Government workers Agricultural wage and salary workers Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force. 2 Seasonally adjusted unemployment data for service occupations are not available because the seasonal component, which is small relative to the trend-cycle and irregular components, cannot be separated with sufficient precision. NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

15 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-6. Duration of unemployment (Numbers in thousands) Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted Duration Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED Less than 5 weeks... 2,627 2,513 2,547 2,582 2,531 2,595 2,470 2,594 2,487 5 to 14 weeks... 1,664 2,031 1,583 1,805 1,953 1,759 1,812 1,846 1, weeks and over... 1,370 1,280 1,194 1,412 1,337 1,242 1,331 1,384 1, to 26 weeks weeks and over Average (mean) duration, in weeks Median duration, in weeks PERCENT DISTRIBUTION Total unemployed Less than 5 weeks to 14 weeks weeks and over to 26 weeks weeks and over NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

16 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-7. Reason for unemployment (Numbers in thousands) Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted Reason Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs... 2,299 2,544 2,258 2,573 2,483 2,450 2,417 2,615 2,511 On temporary layoff Not on temporary layoff... 1,678 1,701 1,662 1,704 1,589 1,491 1,561 1,674 1,688 Permanent job losers... 1,158 1,154 1,104 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) Persons who completed temporary jobs (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) Job leavers Reentrants... 2,028 1,902 1,832 1,967 2,093 2,076 1,961 1,919 1,774 New entrants PERCENT DISTRIBUTION Total unemployed Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs On temporary layoff Not on temporary layoff Job leavers Reentrants New entrants UNEMPLOYED AS A PERCENT OF THE CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs Job leavers Reentrants New entrants Not available. NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

17 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-8. Range of alternative measures of labor underutilization (Percent) Measure Not seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept U-1 Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force U-2 Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force U-3 Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate) U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) U-5 Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 1 Not available. NOTE: This range of alternative measures of labor underutilization replaces the U1-U7 range published in table A-7 of this release prior to Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not currently looking for a job. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule. For further information, see "BLS introduces new range of alternative unemployment measures," in the October 1995 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.

18 HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA Table A-9. Unemployed persons by sex and age, seasonally adjusted Age and sex Number of unemployed persons (in thousands) Unemployment rates(1) Sept. Aug. Sept. Sept. May June July Aug. Sept Total, 16 years and over... 5,825 5,829 5, to 24 years... 2,226 2,128 1, to 19 years... 1,210 1,209 1, to 17 years to 19 years to 24 years... 1, years and over... 3,618 3,700 3, to 54 years... 3,147 3,219 3, years and over Men, 16 years and over... 3,013 3,005 2, to 24 years... 1,163 1,201 1, to 19 years to 17 years to 19 years to 24 years years and over... 1,859 1,802 1, to 54 years... 1,575 1,541 1, years and over Women, 16 years and over... 2,812 2,824 2, to 24 years... 1, to 19 years to 17 years to 19 years to 24 years years and over... 1,759 1,899 1, to 54 years... 1,572 1,678 1, years and over Unemployment as a percent of the civilian labor force. NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.